Import/export HS code 391231: Carboxymethylcellulose and its salts
A type of cellulose derivative used as a thickener or stabiliser in food and industrial products
Why this is important if you are looking for potential customers in the UK:
- It helps you understand the market size for your product in the UK.
- It provides you with a list of potential leads who have bought similar products.
* UK only, last 24 months analysed
Imports by country
What this shows: Import market volume by exporter country into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Country | £ |
|---|---|
| France | 8,072,257 |
| Finland | 3,725,297 |
| Netherlands | 3,506,526 |
| Germany | 2,586,415 |
| Switzerland | 1,950,105 |
Countries rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month volume, right side by second 12-month volume, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Country | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 3,790,507 | 4,281,750 | +491,243 |
| Finland | 2,630,624 | 1,094,673 | -1,535,951 |
| Netherlands | 1,716,092 | 1,790,434 | +74,342 |
| Germany | 883,731 | 1,702,684 | +818,953 |
| Switzerland | 683,257 | 1,266,848 | +583,591 |
| Belgium | 554,045 | 1,238,539 | +684,494 |
| China | 649,011 | 889,479 | +240,468 |
| Italy | 494,935 | 396,113 | -98,822 |
| Ireland | 420,785 | 171,664 | -249,121 |
| Turkey | 344,520 | 106,486 | -238,034 |
Imports by country of origin
What this shows: Import volume by production origin country. Differences from exporter-country data can indicate re-export routes.
Top 5 values
| Origin | £ |
|---|---|
| France | 8,679,470 |
| Finland | 6,504,504 |
| Germany | 3,118,072 |
| China | 2,044,763 |
| Italy | 1,021,326 |
Country of origin rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Origin countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Origin | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| France | 3,795,514 | 4,883,956 | +1,088,442 |
| Finland | 3,719,381 | 2,785,123 | -934,258 |
| Germany | 1,117,515 | 2,000,557 | +883,042 |
| China | 1,007,497 | 1,037,266 | +29,769 |
| Italy | 525,210 | 496,116 | -29,094 |
| Brazil | 445,660 | 466,866 | +21,206 |
| Turkey | 640,979 | 265,707 | -375,272 |
| Netherlands | 453,587 | 309,589 | -143,998 |
| Taiwan | 208,123 | 103,622 | -104,501 |
| Austria | 79,751 | 98,586 | +18,835 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 8 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 8 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 6 |
| Inner London - East | 6 |
| Cheshire | 5 |
UK regions rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: UK regions are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month importer count, right side by second 12-month importer count, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| UK region | First 12m | Second 12m | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inner London - West | 6 | 8 | +2 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 4 | 7 | +3 |
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 6 | 3 | -3 |
| Inner London - East | 4 | 4 | +0 |
| Cheshire | 4 | 5 | +1 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 3 | 3 | +0 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 1 | 4 | +3 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 3 | 2 | -1 |
| Greater Manchester | 2 | 3 | +1 |
| Merseyside | 3 | 2 | -1 |
Import volume by transport
What this shows: Import value by transport mode used to bring goods into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 18,952,120 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 5,208,019 |
| Other | 864,274 |
| Air transport | 732,825 |
| Road transport | 1,140 |
Transport rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Transport modes are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Transport | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 9,086,113 | 9,866,007 | +779,894 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 2,812,724 | 2,395,295 | -417,429 |
| Other | 231,771 | 632,503 | +400,732 |
| Air transport | 362,400 | 370,425 | +8,025 |
| Road transport | 0 | 1,140 | +1,140 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover | 6,135,110 |
| Portsmouth | 4,133,384 |
| Immingham Docks | 3,045,279 |
| Felixstowe | 2,792,201 |
| Newhaven | 1,981,068 |
Port rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Ports are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Port | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover | 2,781,392 | 3,353,718 | +572,326 |
| Portsmouth | 1,725,344 | 2,408,040 | +682,696 |
| Immingham Docks | 1,347,143 | 1,698,136 | +350,993 |
| Felixstowe | 1,743,112 | 1,049,089 | -694,023 |
| Newhaven | 740,390 | 1,240,678 | +500,288 |
| Purfleet | 544,884 | 536,262 | -8,622 |
| London | 831,205 | 226,664 | -604,541 |
| 000 | 231,771 | 632,503 | +400,732 |
| Harwich | 380,015 | 347,665 | -32,350 |
| Liverpool Docks | 257,978 | 344,373 | +86,395 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 17 |
| Manufacture of food products | 11 |
| Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products | 10 |
| Manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations | 9 |
| Office administrative, office support and other business support activities | 7 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-04 | 24 |
| 2026-03 | 19 |
| 2026-02 | 20 |
| 2026-01 | 22 |
| 2025-12 | 11 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| ASHLAND SPECIALTIES UK LIMITED | 52 |
| ESSITY UK LIMITED | 50 |
| BRITVIC SOFT DRINKS LIMITED | 49 |
| DANISCO (UK) LIMITED | 49 |
| AZELIS UK LIMITED | 46 |
| SCHLUMBERGER OILFIELD UK LIMITED | 45 |
| SIGMA-ALDRICH COMPANY LIMITED | 44 |
| NORKEM LIMITED | 44 |
| PME CAKE LIMITED | 42 |
| PURATOS LIMITED | 39 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 54m+ | 43 |
| 1m-15m | 28 |
| 15m-54m | 14 |
| 0-1m | 3 |
| Other | 3 |
Import seasonality
What this shows: Average monthly import pattern from historical data.
Exports by country
What this shows: Export market volume by destination country from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Country | £ |
|---|---|
| Turkey | 403,254 |
| United States | 331,585 |
| Ireland | 165,240 |
| Netherlands | 127,953 |
| Germany | 126,464 |
Export countries rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Destination countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export volume, right side by second 12-month export volume, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Country | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey | 86,604 | 316,650 | +230,046 |
| United States | 273,505 | 58,080 | -215,425 |
| Ireland | 80,501 | 84,739 | +4,238 |
| Netherlands | 97,078 | 30,875 | -66,203 |
| Germany | 98,235 | 28,229 | -70,006 |
| Bulgaria | 48,239 | 31,680 | -16,559 |
| China | 37,140 | 27,756 | -9,384 |
| Spain | 57,000 | 4,009 | -52,991 |
| Morocco | 50,932 | 0 | -50,932 |
| Italy | 23,377 | 20,002 | -3,375 |
Export volume by transport
What this shows: Export value by transport mode used to ship goods from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 816,730 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 687,233 |
| Air transport | 172,240 |
Export transport rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Transport modes are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export value, right side by second 12-month export value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Transport | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 416,367 | 400,363 | -16,004 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 395,827 | 291,406 | -104,421 |
| Air transport | 101,598 | 70,642 | -30,956 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 411,698 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 316,650 |
| Liverpool Docks | 294,999 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 110,788 |
| Immingham Docks | 98,995 |
Export port rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Ports are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export value, right side by second 12-month export value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Port | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 229,569 | 182,129 | -47,440 |
| Grangemouth Docks | 0 | 316,650 | +316,650 |
| Liverpool Docks | 241,496 | 53,503 | -187,993 |
| London Heathrow Airport | 51,881 | 58,907 | +7,026 |
| Immingham Docks | 79,106 | 19,889 | -59,217 |
| Holyhead | 40,056 | 47,971 | +7,915 |
| Heysham | 28,963 | 33,408 | +4,445 |
| Aberdeen Docks | 50,932 | 0 | -50,932 |
| Portsmouth | 39,407 | 0 | -39,407 |
| Harwich | 38,335 | 0 | -38,335 |
Quick facts
HS code: 391231
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: A type of cellulose derivative used as a thickener or stabiliser in food and industrial products